Partners
by thegenuineimitation
Summary: Snapshots from the day it was decided Harry and Draco couldn't remain enemies forever.
1. Chapter 1

**Partners**

**Chapter One: You Need a Partner**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter.

* * *

"Sir, you can't be serious!" Harry complained.

"I'm as serious as Avada Kedavra, Potter, I don't care how many Dark Lords you've defeated, this is my department and you need a partner," Auror Bluestone snapped as he scribbled something down.

"I have a partner -"

Bluestone cut him off.

"C'mon Potter, you're 27 years old and you have two and a half kids, you don't need to cling to Ron Weasley's robes,"

"Ron is only going to be off duty for a year," Harry continued.

"A year is a year too long, I'm sorry Potter, you and Weasley are one of the best teams I've got and I hate to break you up, but the idiot went and had another kid with a woman who needs to be at work more than he does,"

"This has got to be some kind of discrimination," Harry sighed dropping into the chair on the other side of Bluestone's desk.

Bluestone snorted.

"Since you're so concerned with equal opportunity, I've got the perfect match for you too,"

"Sir..."

"Don't you 'sir' me, Potter; this is the way things go, deal with it,"

Harry sighed.

"When?"

"I'll bring her around your office at 10 you can break her in with a nice easy patrol down Knockturn, poke around asking for licenses,"

"Do I get to know who she is at least?"

"No," grinned Bluestone evilly, "Let's call it punishment for whining when I've got more important things to worry about,"

* * *

**AN:** This was supposed to be a longish one-shot but it turned into this instead...probably because it's like three in the morning. I might fill it out later if I have the time and inclination. Please review!


	2. Chapter 2

**Partners**

**Chapter Two: Family Bonding**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter

* * *

Harry winced and backed out of Bluestone's office rubbing the back of his head sheepishly and made his way back to his closet...ahem...office.

"Tempus," he muttered.

He had enough time to review what Ron called his Knockturn Alley List of Doom. It was a list of all those he knew or suspected of smuggling more than the occasional black market flying carpet into the country but couldn't find enough evidence to convict. In fact he was willing to bet a year's salary that Enid Merlotte was smuggling concentrated Nundu venom flakes in from Borneo into her apothecary.

In fact he got so caught up in trying, for the hundredth time, to connect the latest incident of poisoning with Madame Merlotte's shop that he completely lost track of time and was scribbling madly and muttering to himself when Bluestone came around with his new partner.

"Potter!" barked Bluestone sounding amused.

Harry felt his face grow slightly hot. Great now his new partner probably thought he was a lunatic.

"Yes, sir,"

As he stood up and tried in vain to surreptitiously flatten the tuft of hair he'd been tugging on in frustration, his eyes flicked over the woman in question.

She was tallish at about five seven and had pale unblemished skin, incredibly bright blue eyes, and her hair was white blond and very short, sculpted into spikes that looked like icicles at the back with short bangs that softened her aristocratic features without getting in her eyes. She didn't have much figure but she wore a simple white long sleeved button down and black slacks tucked into boots with a sensible heel with an easy careless grace. Her wand was in a regulation holster on her belt as was her badge and he was sure the short-sleeved regulation black robes were a modification on one of Lavender Brown's latest designs.

"Potter, this is Astoria Malfoy, your new partner. She's got a year of experience under her belt and just returned from maternity leave, have fun,"

Harry blinked at the stunned looking Mrs. Malfoy.

"I must have pissed him off more than I thought," he said finally.

"Clearly," said Mrs. Malfoy coolly.

Harry shot her a sharp look, not sure if she was being serious or sarcastic, her face, of course, gave nothing away. Clearly the woman made a perfect Malfoy.

"Gin's gonna kill me," he muttered under his breath.

He shook his head.

"Um...alright Auror Malfoy why don't you grab a seat,"

Mrs. Malfoy flicked a glance around the crowded little cubicle and set the books occupying the only chair on the floor before taking their place.

"If we're going to be partners, you should probably call me by my first name," she shrugged.

"Erm...alright, Astoria, I'm Harry,"

He said holding out her hand to shake.

"I know," she smiled, a real smile too not some smirk, "You can call me Tory, I know Astoria's a mouthful,"

"Thanks," Harry said smiling himself, her grip was firm but she wasn't out to try and crush his hand.

The room descended into awkward silence.

"I'm sorry, I've never had to break in a new partner before,"

"That's alright, can I ask what happened to your old one?"

"Nothing bad, thank Merlin, Mat Leave,"

"I thought...I'd heard you were working with Auror Weasley," said Astoria frowning.

"Yeah, his wife just had a baby but she's doing some delicate negotiating with the Department of Experimental Charms right now so Ron agreed that this time he'd take the year off work and look after the kids,"

"Wow,"

"Yeah, I'm just glad my wife didn't jump on that bandwagon, I have two boys and another on the way, what about you?"

"Just one, a son, Scorpius, this is him here with Draco," said Astoria excitedly pulling out a wallet sized snapshot of Draco Malfoy gazing down at a smiling toothless blond infant.

"These are mine, James and Albus, and my godson Teddy"

Harry turned around his favourite picture of the boys so that Astoria could see. It showed Harry with baby Albus and Teddy looking up at one year old James who was clinging to Harry's shoulders like a monkey.

Astoria laughed.

"They look like a handful,"

"They are but I love them anyway," Harry grinned, "You'll find out, as I'll take it from Malfoy's hair your Scorpius hasn't hit the terrible twos,"

"That sounds..." Astoria started.

"It's awful, but at least they sleep at night, three is really horrible cause you have trouble getting them into bed let alone sleeping, just something to look forward to,"


	3. Chapter 3

**Partners**

**Chapter Three: Poison, Hexes, and Handcuffs**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter

* * *

"Hello Enid," said Harry with false enthusiasm, "How's things?"

"Ain't none of yer bloody business!" sneered the grandmotherly looking old woman.

"I wouldn't be too sure of that," Astoria said in a clipped voice not looking away from a display of snake fangs.

"Oo this bint? Where'see red haired sasquatch with 'em spots?"

"He's around, this is my new partner,"

"Wha'choo want wiv me? Got all me goods in display, no storage, all me paper, ain't nuffink wrong in this shop,"

"Oh, well, I was just wondering if you'd gotten another shipment of Nundu venom flakes in, y'know forewarning for the murder and mayhem to come,"

"Ain't got none o' that, s'illegal that stuff, got nice concentrated belladonna if yer needin' to poison someone though,"

"Where are you hiding it Enid?"

"Wha'choo see s'all there is Auror Potter," cackled the old woman.

"I highly doubt that. One day Enid, I'll see you rotting in Azkaban,"

"Why wait?" asked Astoria innocently.

She'd pulled on a pair of gloves and cast a bubblehead charm making her triumphant grin gruesomely distorted as she held up a vial full of clear liquid that was slowly condensing into the tell tale green flakes.

"Oh, well spotted!" cheered Harry.

"Arrest her already, we've got all the evidence we need,"

"Inn'erfering bitch! _Hexus_!" snarled the old woman.

Harry dove in front of Astoria blocking the curse.

"_Expelliarmus_,"

The witch's want flew out of her hand and into a precariously balanced display of 20 knives of varying sizes and ingredient mutilating purposes which just so happened to tumble onto Harry, followed by a thick bottomed cauldron.

"_Stupefy_!_ Incarcerous_!" snapped Astoria

The grandmotherly looking witch was knocked out and then tied up with thin sturdy black cords.

"Good work,"

Astoria winced when she got a look at her partner, who staggered to his feet shrugging out of his torn robed and rubbing his shoulder gingerly. The man's arms were covered with freely bleeding nicks and gashes and she'd bet his back and shoulder would sport some tremendous bruising by tomorrow.

"Merlin, Harry..."

"I hate that stupid hex, listen Tory it's probably better I don't move for the next five minutes until this sodding hex wears off so if you could get a clean-up crew out here and someone from the Department of Illegal Imports, I'll watch this one, she should be out for a good bit in any case,"

"Should I call a medi-witch?"

"Nah, I've got a patch kit in the office that will do the trick," shrugged Harry wincing.

"What was that hex anyway?"

"Death by bad luck, I don't know if you heard about the rabbit feet the muggle baiter were selling to tourists? No? Well, basically, accidents of a deadly nature will follow me around for a good six or seven minutes, longer if the caster is feeling nasty enough. That vial would have exploded right in your face if you'd been hit,"

"Merlin...thanks for that,"

"Don't mention it," shrugged Harry, "Here put these on her," he said gingerly toeing the muggle handcuffs across the floor.

Still he somehow managed to trip over his own feet and smash his face on the floor breaking his nose and spraining an ankle.

Astoria winced.

"You alright?" she asked.

"Peachy," Harry declared grumpily trying to stem the blood flow.


	4. Chapter 4

**Partners**

**Chapter Four: Mending Noses and Fences**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter

* * *

Astoria shoved her shoulder more deeply into her partner's armpit as he limped along bloodying her shirt and neck with his sliced up arms.

"Why the hell did you move, you idiot!"

"Well, would you have preferred I let the vicious troll escape?"

"What in the blue blazes is going on here!" demanded Bluestone stomping out of his office annoyed, "Potter, what the devil happened to you?"

"Just took Auror Malfoy for a test run, I like her, think I'll keep her," grinned Harry.

"Damn straight, you need someone to haul your stupid ass back to your office!"

"Potter..." Bluestone started swelling up like some sort of weird Auror-shaped balloon looking very ready to deliver a scathing lecture, then with a resigned look he let all the air out, "I want your report on my desk tomorrow, first thing, Malfoy, make sure he gets himself properly patched up, I don't want my best Auror out of commission because he refuses to see a Healer!"

"Yes, sir," agreed Astoria dragging Harry down the hall and into his tiny office.

"Where's the kit?" she demanded as her partner sank into his desk chair.

"In the bottom drawer of that filing cabinet,"

Astoria found the kit in question as Harry hissed and removed his t-shirt revealing and impressive set of black, purple, and blue bruises.

"Hold still," she ordered taking out a half empty tub of Bruise Begone, and slathering it liberally over his back and shoulder. "_Episkey,_" she muttered over his sprained ankle, another for the broken toes, and another for each of his arms.

She bit her lip.

"Just do it, if it's crooked, it's crooked," Harry shrugged.

"Don't move,"

Another murmured spell and the nose was fixed if slightly off centre.

"Not bad," Harry praised glancing at his reflection in the small foe glass tacked to his one wall.

"Your wife will notice,"

Harry grimaced briefly, so briefly in fact Astoria thought she might have been imagining it.

"Gin won't mind," he said, "Speaking of spouses, what's a nice normal girl like you doing married to Malfoy of all people,"

"I love Draco, he's smart, funny, handsome, and charming...you would think you two would get on actually,"

Harry laughed a little.

"You must have been a few years behind us in school, cause Malfoy was rude, spoilt, and mean when I first met him, now I realize that was Lucius really more than him, but he and I always rubbed each other the wrong way. I also nearly killed him once which probably didn't help things,"

"Not anymore, I like you and you and Draco will just have to deal with each other,"


	5. Chapter 5

**Partners**

**Chapter Five: I'm so Sorry, Lover**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter

* * *

Astoria apparated into the front foyer of the modest manor house she shared with her husband and son with an uncharacteristically loud crack. Her boots made very cathartic authoritative clacks on the hardwood floor as she made her way into the informal dining room where, as expected, Draco was sitting making weird faces at Scorpius to try and get him to eat his dinner.

He looked up with a rare small smile on his lips and blanched.

"Astoria, what happened? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, it's not my blood. I'm so sorry, lover," sighed Astoria melting into her husband's worried embrace.

"Sorry, what...Astoria what in the name of Merlin's socks is going on?"

"You can't be enemies with Harry Potter anymore,"

Draco jerked back from her looking rather like he'd been forced to consume horseradish.

"Why?"

"He saved my life today, and he's my new partner,"

Draco didn't know what to say to this so he settled for burying his face in his wife's hair and groaning like a put upon child.

* * *

**AN:** And there you have it folks, my idea about why Harry and Draco are up to curt nodding in the epilogue of DH!


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